My invention relates to the application of lubricating material to objects and more particularly to a method and apparatus for applying lubricant to the surface of a cable.
In electrical and communication systems, it is often necessary to pull extensive lengths of smooth-surfaced cable through a relatively narrow cross-section conduit. Friction between the cable surface and the conduit requires very high pulling forces, makes cable installation difficult, and can result in damage to the cable. Where the surface of the cable is lubricated prior to insertion in the conduit, the pulling force and the possibility of damage are considerably reduced. Generally, lubricant has been manually spread on the cable surface to ensure a uniform coating. The manual method, however, is time consuming and results in a non-uniform lubricant coating.
Mechanical aids to the manual lubricating process, such as funnels, have been devised to expedite the application of lubricant. But the use of a funnel having an end closely conforming to the surface of the cable does not result in automatic spreading of the lubricant on the cable unless some external device is used to force the lubricant down the funnel onto the smooth cable surface. If the cable includes periodically occurring expanded sections such as couplings or joints, the expanded sections may be operative to drive the lubricant into the narrow section of the funnel and onto the cable surface. Where the smooth-surfaced cable is of relatively constant cross section, the lubricant applicator requires a complex mechanical arrangement to force the lubricant onto the cable surface in a uniform manner. It is an object of the invention to provide a simple and economical arrangement for uniformly dispensing lubricant onto a smooth cable surface during insertion of the cable into a closely conforming conduit.